Lisa Cummings
October 2024
Lisa
Cummings
,
RN
PCU (3 North)
AdventHealth Waterman
Tavares
,
FL
United States
When Dad was finally at peace, Lisa stayed to answer questions about the next steps. Her extraordinary compassion for us at this hardest time of our lives made us feel supported and cared for.
My 94-year-old father was admitted to AdventHealth Waterman. He had pneumonia, Covid-19, a UTI, and colitis. That’s a lot for someone his age, so my sister and I traveled by his side.
When we arrived and during our stay, we realized he was receiving excellent care from everyone and were honestly impressed by the level of care from the whole team. However, there was one nurse who stood out from this team, whom I would like to talk about. How Lisa stood out from this terrific team with her extra compassion and care is something that I wanted to bring attention to and nominate her for the DAISY Award.
My dad is partially deaf, so one must scream into one ear. He also has a strong sense of humor, which he utilizes for comfort, and people responding to it really helps him. He has some dementia, so he will repeatedly ask things and become confused as to why he is there, making the same jokes over and over. He is very gracious and will thank people for the help, also over and over again. These challenges can be exhausting for caregivers, but this nurse demonstrated remarkable patience, answering his repetitive questions as if it was the first time that he asked them. Lisa would laugh and joke back with him despite having heard these jokes many times. This brought him so much comfort. Her understanding of how he used humor and then responded to him in kind showed great empathy and compassion. She was making a frail, dying man feel valuable, appreciated, and cared for.
Another extraordinary thing about her care is that every time she approached him, she would inform him of what she was about to do, “P, I am going to give you some morphine now that should help you to be more comfortable.” While he was responsive, she chatted and joked with him. I know these nurses are incredibly busy and sometimes forget to even speak to the patient, let alone wait for a response, but she did that every single time. That meant so much to me; she continued to verbally inform him and pause even after he was no longer responsive. To me, that is showing such respect and allowing some dignity for a patient who may still be aware and just unable to communicate.
And at the same time as her wonderful care for Dad, each time she came into the room, she checked on my sister and me. We aren’t even her patients! At one point, she brought us another recliner so that we could both be more comfortable, as well as blankets, and water.
When Dad was finally at peace, Lisa stayed to answer questions about the next steps. Her extraordinary compassion for us at this hardest time of our lives made us feel supported and cared for. Her care for our dad, from the curative to the palliative stages and then after, was filled with compassion, respect, and humor. His last days on this Earth were in her excellent care, and I will forever be grateful to this woman for her care of all of us.
When we arrived and during our stay, we realized he was receiving excellent care from everyone and were honestly impressed by the level of care from the whole team. However, there was one nurse who stood out from this team, whom I would like to talk about. How Lisa stood out from this terrific team with her extra compassion and care is something that I wanted to bring attention to and nominate her for the DAISY Award.
My dad is partially deaf, so one must scream into one ear. He also has a strong sense of humor, which he utilizes for comfort, and people responding to it really helps him. He has some dementia, so he will repeatedly ask things and become confused as to why he is there, making the same jokes over and over. He is very gracious and will thank people for the help, also over and over again. These challenges can be exhausting for caregivers, but this nurse demonstrated remarkable patience, answering his repetitive questions as if it was the first time that he asked them. Lisa would laugh and joke back with him despite having heard these jokes many times. This brought him so much comfort. Her understanding of how he used humor and then responded to him in kind showed great empathy and compassion. She was making a frail, dying man feel valuable, appreciated, and cared for.
Another extraordinary thing about her care is that every time she approached him, she would inform him of what she was about to do, “P, I am going to give you some morphine now that should help you to be more comfortable.” While he was responsive, she chatted and joked with him. I know these nurses are incredibly busy and sometimes forget to even speak to the patient, let alone wait for a response, but she did that every single time. That meant so much to me; she continued to verbally inform him and pause even after he was no longer responsive. To me, that is showing such respect and allowing some dignity for a patient who may still be aware and just unable to communicate.
And at the same time as her wonderful care for Dad, each time she came into the room, she checked on my sister and me. We aren’t even her patients! At one point, she brought us another recliner so that we could both be more comfortable, as well as blankets, and water.
When Dad was finally at peace, Lisa stayed to answer questions about the next steps. Her extraordinary compassion for us at this hardest time of our lives made us feel supported and cared for. Her care for our dad, from the curative to the palliative stages and then after, was filled with compassion, respect, and humor. His last days on this Earth were in her excellent care, and I will forever be grateful to this woman for her care of all of us.